A practical “how to” for success in your digital transformation.

For operational leaders in legacy institutions, digital transformation is both a challenge and an opportunity to drive meaningful change.

In this article, we provide practical, actionable advice for operational leaders on embracing their crucial role in digital transformation. Things like building effective teams, choosing the right tools and leveraging external expertise when needed. These insights help navigate the challenges of leading organizations in today's digitally evolving landscape.

Operational leaders sit at the crossroads of vision and execution, turning high-level strategies into real-world results. To thrive in this role, leaders need to blend traditional strengths like problem-solving and team management with digital-first capabilities, such as data literacy, an understanding of operational systems and adaptability.

Success in a digitally forward world means embracing a mindset of continual learning and customer-centricity across the entire organization. Operational leaders who prioritize innovation over maintaining the status quo will drive lasting impact for their business.

Building a digital-ready team starts by aligning roles and responsibilities to support transformation efforts. Cross-functional collaboration is key — breaking down silos between operations, IT, marketing and finance fosters seamless execution.

Invest in training programs that address emerging needs like automation proficiency, data analytics and digital project management. Encourage team members to adopt a mindset of continuous learning, fostering resilience in the face of change.

Operational teams often face resource limitations, especially in legacy organizations. Engaging external partners can help bridge gaps in expertise as well as bandwidth. This allows teams to focus on what they do best while receiving expert advice, training and practical guidance from partners with deep expertise.

Selecting the right technology can make or break a transformation initiative. Below we provide examples of a few tools to consider.

Automation: Platforms like UiPath and Blue Prism can automate repetitive tasks, freeing up your team for higher-value work.

Data Analytics: Tools like Tableau and Power BI turn your complex data into actionable insights, empowering better business decision-making.

Marketing Automation: Solutions like Encharge, HubSpot or Salesforce Marketing Cloud help streamline customer interactions and support scalable personalization.

Project Management: Platforms like Wrike and Asana ensure your teams stay aligned and projects are delivered on time. We are big fans of Shortcut, the tool in use for our teams at Lovely People.

Collaboration: Most professionals are quite familiar with Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams — tools that facilitate seamless remote and hybrid collaboration across entire organizations. However, we often see massive improvements in efficiency by enabling collaboration in far smaller contexts — think departments or select working teams versus the whole organization. This can be achieved with specific software integrations or workflow improvements.

Consider starting small to avoid overwhelming existing operations — pilot a single tool in one department, gather feedback and iterate before expanding.

Many organizations face decision paralysis when confronted with numerous technology options and more often than not, decisions about technology are siloed in departments who are not customer facing.

We recommend that you focus on tools that address immediate pain points, align with existing operational workflows and scale over time to avoid wasting resources on overly complex solutions or integrations.

From legacy systems to cultural resistance, internal challenges can slow digital transformation. External partners help bring fresh perspectives and proven frameworks to accelerate progress while reducing friction.

When evaluating potential partners, prioritize those who —

• Understand your operational workflows and can align solutions with business goals.
• Bring deep expertise in your industry or use case, backed by relevant case studies.
• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively with your teams.

Operational leaders can use data to uncover inefficiencies, identify trends and make informed decisions that bring value to the business and its objectives. Start by centralizing your data in accessible dashboards, focusing on those metrics which matter most to your specific business goals.

Encourage your teams to trust and use data in their decision-making processes. Work with external partners to enhance your data infrastructure and unlock underused assets for operational improvements.

Transformation thrives in organizations where departments collaborate, ideate and innovate together. Operational leaders should champion initiatives that bridge gaps between teams, ensuring alignment on goals and execution.

Your ability to inspire teams to embrace transformation will determine the pace and success of change. Celebrate small wins to maintain momentum and create a culture of adaptability. Be overt about the vision and outcomes you are seeking to achieve.

Digital transformation is an ongoing journey — operational leaders are uniquely equipped to lead the charge. By leveraging technology, fostering collaboration and engaging external partners when needed, you can turn the complexities of transformation into opportunities for exponential business growth.